Cavaliers Te Plans Return After His Fall

Senior Hopes For Postseason Play

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Virginia tight end Bruce McGonnigal, injured in a freak fall Oct. 18, said Monday that he hopes to play in the Cavaliers' bowl game and in two postseason all-star contests.

"The doctors said there's a very good chance I'll be ready to play by our bowl game," said McGonnigal, who sustained a lacerated spleen, bruised kidney and a concussion. "Hopefully I'm not setting myself up for disappointment."

McGonnigal, a fifth-year senior and All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection last season, has accepted invitations to the Hula and Japan bowls, games that showcase professional prospects.

McGonnigal's football future was jeopardized Oct. 18, of which his last memory is arriving at an address where his girlfriend was housesitting.

"I woke up in the hospital," he said. "I checked my pockets for a clue. My girlfriend left me a note describing what had happened."

McGonnigal ventured into the backyard when the homeowners' dog got loose. Unfamiliar with the terrain, he fell 8-12 feet "apparently down a ramp leading to a basement."

"I want to go out there just to see it," McGonnigal said. "I don't think it will jog my memory. I just want to see what happened. ... I've pretty much accepted this as one of those freak incidents. ... There's nothing long-term or permanent, and I'm grateful for that."

Last Halloween, McGonnigal's stereo was stolen from his house. Then in January, the house caught on fire. Yet McGonnigal insisted he doesn't feel jinxed.

"A lot of good things have happened to me here," he said.

McGonnigal spent two weeks at University of Virginia Hospital, was released Wednesday and will return to classes today. He underwent scores of tests and CAT scans and lost 19 pounds off his 230-pound frame.

"I've got to get some rest and stay away from jerky movements because it could rupture," McGonnigal said. "It'll be three weeks before I'm jogging, running or doing any strenuous lifting."